An Appeal to Assist Indias Amazing Organic Farmers

AN APPEAL TO ASSIST INDIA'S AMAZING ORGANIC FARMERS TO TRAVEL TO DELHI FOR THE ORGANIC WORLD CONGRESS 2017 AND TO SHARE THEIR SKILLS IN GROWING FOOD WITHOUT POISONS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD

The Organic World Congress -- being organised by India's Organic Farming Association in New Delhi this year from 9-11 November -- will be the largest such gathering ever held anywhere of organic farmers from across the world.

A total of 3,000 organic farmers from all continents will migrate to Delhi to form a critical mass and to share their techniques of raising food and crops without damaging soils and without ruining people's health. These farmers have chosen to produce safe food, i.e., food grown without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. They want to show the rest of the world how. And they want to be heard by governments everywhere.

Most of the remarkable innovations these farmers have evolved deal with ways of restoring soil health -- largely by bringing life back to soils through a host of self-generated microbial nutrients. But others deal with benign ways of controlling insect populations, reducing use of irrigation water for crops, and harvesting biodiverse crops in the same field at different times.

At the Congress, additionally, more than a hundred seed keepers from India – largely women, who proudly conserve a huge variety of the seeds they use in their communities – will engage with a large number of seed keepers from Africa, Latin America, China and Europe, to network an international alliance to conserve, protect and multiply organic and heirloom seeds in the face of huge corporate monopolies that are threatening to take control of the planet's food systems.

India today has over 600,000 organic farmers -- or the largest organic farming fraternity in the world. Some of these farmers are the best on the planet. They are integrating traditional Indian techniques of farming with their own new insights to develop unique and ecologically regenerative ways to nourish soils, plants and us. In doing so, these farmers represent the cutting edge of the best of agricultural science today. They have been selected to speak at the Congress by a 12-member peer review group of the most experienced organic farmers.

However, many of these organic farming pioneers are finding it difficult to attend the November Congress without financial assistance. These expenses come to approximately Rs.12,000 per person (travel by train, modest Delhi accommodation and registration charges). This is where you come in. If you recognise the significance of this mammoth encounter and exchange, we are confident you will go out of your way to support their participation.

The Organic Farming Association -- a not-for-profit body as well as the India host of the Congress – is launching this crowd funding appeal to cover the expenses relating to the participation of these 600+ farmers -- selected from different states of India -- which is estimated at around Rs.40 lakhs (since we are hoping that the 600+ farmers will each and on average be able to bear atleast half the cost, i.e. Rs. 6,000). That is the target we hope to raise from individuals, philanthropic trusts and societies, companies, small businessmen, consumer societies, and people who want farmers to produce safe and nutritious food (no longer available as a rule) for the people of this country.

All money collected through this crowd funding appeal will be used exclusively for the travel, accommodation and registration requirements of individual organic farmers who need it, and will not go towards any other organizational or infrastructural expenditure of the Congress or to salaries of staff or any other Congress expense.

Your support will assist these farmers to travel to New Delhi and plug their knowledge and expertise into the ever expanding sea of good practice techniques involved in the production of safe and nutritious food. But everything does not end there.

The Association will create a permanent archive or manual of the organic farming techniques being shared at the Congress. After the event ends, this archive will go on the Net, to be of benefit to any person in future wanting to raise food in fields, parks, gardens, anywhere, always in tune with natural principles, and without chemicals, without poisons, and without GMOs. So you will be contributing to that permanent asset as well.

Please help us make this happen! Not only you will feel good by making this contribution to the fund, the earth will feel better as well!

Supporters (29)

Totally appreciate this effort. Great opportunity to exchange best practices farmers have been following in their own lands. This will increase their awareness and inspire others too. Thanks for organizing this. Hope it achieves its goal.

All supporters

Totally appreciate this effort. Great opportunity to exchange best practices farmers have been following in their own lands. This will increase their awareness and inspire others too. Thanks for organizing this. Hope it achieves its goal.